Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of 1953 Mount Everest expedition, dies at 92

KATHMANDU Nepal AP Kanchha Sherpa the only surviving member of the mountaineering expedition unit that first conquered Mount Everest died early Thursday according to the Nepal Mountaineering Association Kanchha died at age at his home in Kapan in the Kathmandu district of Nepal verified Phur Gelje Sherpa the association president He passed away peacefully at his residence Phur Gelje Sherpa recounted The Associated Press explaining he had been unwell for selected time A chapter of the mountaineering history has vanished with him Last rites will be held Monday he stated Kanchha Sherpa was among the members of the gang that put New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay atop the -meter -foot peak on May He was one of three Sherpas to reach the final camp before the summit with Hillary and Tenzing Born in in Namche Bazar the gateway to Mount Everest he began mountaineering when he was and remained working in the expedition sector until the age of In an interview with The Associated Press in March he expressed concerns about overcrowding and filth at the world s highest peak exhorting the need for people to respect the mountain as a goddess It would be better for the mountain to reduce the number of climbers he reported Among the Sherpas Himalayan people renowned as mountaineering guides Everest is revered as Qomolangma or goddess mother of the world Members of the group generally perform religious rituals before climbing the peak Kanchha Sherpa is survived by his wife four sons two daughters and grandchildren Source